"I ONLY DID MY DUTY."

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 266, 26 October 1916, Page 2

"I ONLY DID MY DUTY."

THE REST DOES NOT MATTER.”

(B.v JAMES HOLMES.)

It happened at Gallipoli. The position obtained was extremely difficult to hold and the lads were exposed on all sides to (lie murderous, searching fire of the Turks. The trench they had dug was only a foot deep with only a single row of sand bags round it, and the enemy had made the most of it, and v.Ais play’ing havoc with the brave lads who were dropping fast .

Private Jack Mclntyre was an independent beggar in his way. He came of an old Scotch Covenanting stock whose proud boast was, that they had never bowed the knee to Baal, past or present, and never would. Their blood ran fast and strong in his veins and he was true to the old stock, hence at times he was perhaps misunderstood, and promotion passed him by. He had been known to express himself in fairly plain terms to bis superior officers, but none cared to report him. He was never insolent, nor insubordinate, simply, but decidedly frank. Yet when the time and the occasion came he was there, and very much there. He seemed to bear a charmed life amidst that hail of bullets. Hearing a cry he turned to see the man next him with a bu.let through the jaws, the next moment a second bullet got the same man through the back, and that finished him. Another cry fell on his ears, and this time it was his lieutenant who was hit. and badly hit too. By this time the rest of the sound ones with a single exception had fallen back to the support trench, leaving him and the wounded. Mclntyre took in the situation and began to act on his own account. -Creeping along to his officer he built round him a parapet of sand bays and gradually drew the wounded to the same p.ace, bandaging them up to the best of his ability. Suddenly he espied a wounded Turk pleading for a drink of water and he sfipped over to him and held his flask to the dying man’s lips. Creeping carefully back he again attended to his patients. By this time the night had nearly passed and the dawn was beginning to show itself.

He found one man suffering more from exhaustion and panic than anything else, so he got a hustle on to him, sharp. “Look here,” he said, “there is going to be no humbug on this job, pull your blessed wits together and get that rifle going, if you don’t I’ll knock the sense out of you in quick sticks. You are not here to show a white liver, but a stout heart.” “But it’s awful, Mclntyre, we shall all be killed.”

“Shall we? not if I can help it, now hustle or I’ll chuck you out of the trench and then the Johnnies will make short work of you, and your ma will be shedding tears over you.” The effect was remarkable, the lad jammed the cartridges into his gun and fought like a tiger, and came through without a scratch and never again showed fear. AH that day the sun was scorching hot and the wounded were suffering agonies from want of water, and practically undressed wounds. This position obtained for three solid nights before! effective relief came and the wounded! officer and men taken to the base hospital. . YY’hen the chance came Mclntyre sought out his lieutenant. “Better sir, I hope?”

“Well I’ m more comfortable down ■ here than up render, but Mclntyre, I owe you my life.” “Oh! that’s all right, sir, I only did my duty.” “Y’es you did that and a good deal more and I’m going to remember it.” “Then are you leaving us, sir?” “Yes, they are sending me to Eng- ! land.” • “Well, I hope you’ll soon get well sand enjoy the trip.” 1 “Yes, but Mclntyre, I’ve got to tell I the colonel about this.” | I “Oh, well, that is all right, plenty i of other fellows wou.'d have done what' .1 did.” | “Perhaps.” I I At this they shook hands and parted, = ( Mclntyre to go back to his job and; | the lieutenant-to England., where he; ! lay for months slowdy winning back to j i health. j f Upon his return he sought out Me- > j Intyre and still found him a plain pri-; ' vate. They gripped hands. i ' “Heard anything from headquar-j |ters ?” j “No.”

“Well I,’m d d.” ; He blamed and swore big swear words ! to Mclntyre’s amusement, and he; i swore ti.l the dictionary fidled him,, ! and then he spoke his mind freely on a; few more matters relating to head-1 quarters. “I have done my utmost to secure some recognition of what you ! did for us on those three awful nights,: (and by God .I’m grateful and always, will be Mclntyre.” ! “That’s all right, sir, don’t you. worry, and please don’t mentioa it again, but it’s all of a piece with a lot of other things. I’ve seen the game played in New Zealand, the most demo-’ eratic country in the world. YY'ealth and position and class talk there as well as in England. Why, sir, I know a fellow now, a shepherd, who in the Territorials, in examinations, knocked spots off two of his master’s sons, and in training camps was their boss. He was a great chap, liked and respected by all the men. He. cou.d drill second to no man and discipline too, qnd yet the way he managed those chaps was amazing, but when it came to a com-’ mission, you bet your boots, he did not get it. YYealth /class, position got it. That chap is tipping his hat to-day to men whom he drilled. Oh! ye«. It’s a queer world, but some of us are not fools and we have done some hard thinking during the game we are playing now. YY’e know why we are playing ana what we are playing for, and we’ll play till we win, and 'when we are through, and get home again, we’ll play with some of those politicians, you bet. Good-bye, sir. I hope you’ll come through all right.” The lieutenant put out his hand and ►each grasped hard, looking straight into each other’s eyes, and each knew what the other felt.